the summer king

the summer king

The very first world premiere in Pittsburgh Opera’s distinguished 78 year history hits close to home. The Summer King tells the story of baseball legend Josh Gibson. Josh went from the sandlots of Pittsburgh’s North Side to the pinnacle of greatness in the Negro Leagues, before ultimately being enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

The opera begins with a father and son debating about great baseball players. When the father mentions Josh Gibson, the son thinks his father is living in the past. But as his father retorts, “Who’s got those numbers today?”

The Summer King follows Josh at key points in his life, including his playing days in the Negro Leagues as well as in Mexico, where he was awarded the MVP award while playing for the Veracruz Azules. The robust supporting characters include his wife Helen, who dies in childbirth, his girlfriend Grace, sung by the legendary Denyce Graves in her Pittsburgh Opera debut, and teammates such as Sam Bankhead and Cool Papa Bell.

Also featured in prominent roles are the gregarious Gus Greenlee, who owned not just the Pittsburgh Crawfords but also the legendary Crawford Grill in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, and Wendell Smith, an intrepid reporter for the celebrated African American newspaper The Pittsburgh Courier.

Like all African Americans at the time, Josh was prohibited from playing in the Major Leagues by what was disingenuously referred to as a “gentlemen’s agreement” among the Major League clubs. Sadly, Josh died at the age of 35, felled by a stroke shortly before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Helen Gibson (Jacqueline Echols) tells her husband Josh (Alfred Walker) that she is pregnant. Neither of them knows she will die in childbirth. Photo Credit: David Bachman Photography.

Pittsburgh Courier reporter Wendell Smith (Sean Panikkar) tells how he got passed over by a white baseball scout and decided to turn his energies to writing. Photo Credit: David Bachman Photography.

Calvin (Brian Vu) and Clark Griffith (Ray Very), the owner of the Washington Senators, tell Josh Gibson (Alfred Walker) that it was in his own best interests that they not sign him to their Major League team. Photo Credit: David Bachman Photography.

Josh Gibson deserved to be as famous in his day as Babe Ruth or Lou Gehrig. But he was overlooked by the mainstream white media because of the color of his skin.

These Pittsburgh sports legends are appearing as supernumeraries in The Summer King. Their participation symbolizes that while Josh's athletic greatness may have gone unnoticed by much of the general public, Pittsburgh's sports heroes recognize him as one of their own.

Pittsburgh Opera and the Josh Gibson Foundation are grateful to the following people for supporting The Summer King by appearing as supernumeraries in the Sunday, May 7th performance*:

Enjoy this excerpt from The Summer King as the crowd at Yankee Stadium reacts to Josh Gibon's towering home run off Broadway Connie Rector in 1930.

Beautiful Afternoon

Enjoy this excerpt from The Summer King as Josh Gibson (Alfred Walker) learns that his wife Helen (Jacqueline Echols) is pregnant as they enjoy a beautiful afternoon in Homestead, PA.

Lightning

Enjoy this excerpt from The Summer King as Pittsburgh Courier reporter Wendell Smith (Sean Panikkar) lobbies Josh Gibson (Alfred Walker) to try to break Major League Baseball's color barrier, recounting his own story of being passed over by a scout for an inferior white player.

The Josh Gibson Foundation believes in the endless possibilities for potential in today's youth. By providing academic and athletic programs that foster leadership and scholarship, the skills necessary for tomorrow's successes are created today.​​

Their goal is to carry on the legacy of greatness and accomplishment embodied by Josh Gibson, by developing programs that help children of every level of ability reach their potential, and to create opportunities that set The Josh Gibson Foundation apart from other organizations and provides value for our communities.

Student Matinee sponsor: EQT Foundation. The EQT Foundation is the philanthropic arm of EQT Corporation, and is committed to the social and economic vitality of its operating regions. For more than a decade, the EQT Foundation has made a difference by supporting local programs and initiatives that involve education, community and economic development, diversity, the arts, and the environment. Together with a variety of non-profit organizations, the EQT Foundation develops strong partnerships that enrich our communities, sustain the principles of continuous learning and understanding, and focus on environmental protection efforts.

AOP’s mission is to identify, develop and present innovative works of opera and music theater by established and emerging American artists, and to engage our audiences in unique and transformative theatrical experiences.

Portland Ovations— a Maine based, not for profit performing arts organization— brings highly acclaimed, innovative and masterful artists from around the world, including Maine, representing classical music, jazz, dance, theater, and Broadway and connects them to our community through both live performances and season long educational and outreach programs, Ovations Offstage.

The Summer King composer Daniel Sonenberg is associate professor and resident composer at the University of Southern Maine School of Music. Located near the coastal and mountain regions of Maine in the heart of Maine's population center, the School is a vibrant hub of artistic and educational activity. They are the only School of Music in a public university in New England.